As each industry event produced by the Film Festival Academy is specifically curated in light of the requirements of the hosting festival or organisation, the first theme of our event in New York is New York film programming, looking at all the very many different institutions – festivals, cinemas, museums, galleries – involved in programming specifically for New York audiences.

The second theme focuses on film festival form, and here again we're looking to kick-start a debate that will run on longer via the Film Festival Academy website and related blogs etc.

Confirmed speakers and timetable:

Thursday 27th – Focus on New York-specific Film Programming

09:30–10:00Registration, coffee

10:00–10:15Welcome

10:15–12:15Mapping the Landscape of New York Programming and Connecting with Audiences
Comprising a panel of NYC-based film programmers and moving image museum/gallery curators discussing various aspects of their responsibilities programming specifically for NYC audiences, and the various institutional freedoms and constraints they have, ie a general introduction to the practical context of NYC-specific film programming.

13:30–14:45 A Detailed Look at New York Cinephilia
A moderated conversation between Richard Peña (New York Film Festival) and Lisa Schwartzbaum (Entertainment Weekly) discussing in greater depth the theory and practice behind NYC-specific programming and festival programming more generally, from viewpoints that encompass experience in actual programming as well as academia/film history and film criticism.

14:45–15:00Coffee

15:15–16:45Programming for Niche Audiences
A session focusing on the specific issues involved in programming for target constituents, and exploring issues of reach and retention of interest from core communities, whether 'genre' focused or more 'ethnically/culturally' defined.

17:00–18:30 Exploring the Nature of Contemporary Scholarly Film Festival Studies
Comprising a panel of scholars working in the fast-growing area of academic film festival studies, providing an overview of their area of research and thereby shedding light on more theoretical, historical issues, and developing the specific focus on NYC back out to wider considerations; note, these will NOT be academic papers in any conventional sense, but rather informal accounts given by people professionally engaged in researching this field, providing insight into what, and why, and so balancing the NYC-specific practical considerations above with more theoretical considerations of the nature and role of film festivals generally.

10:00–12:00An Interrogation of Film Festival Form
A focus on theoretical and practical considerations of film festival form; this will be instigated by a manifesto on film festival form proposed by Mark Cousins that will then responded to by a panel that, again, represents the various interested constituents from festival programming, film criticism, and academic film festival studies, but will very much be an open session.